Add the cherries, almonds and chocolate to a food processer, grind on high until crumbly. Add the remaining ingredients, process until mixed.

If making in temperatures above 70°, the mixture will be very soft, even wet – this is OK. Make balls with a 1 Tablespoon Disher, press together with your hands, place on the cold baking sheet. The cold will set up the ball quickly, press gently to flatten into a cookie. Once you have 16 cookies, place in the refrigerator to finish setting up. When cold, peel off the parchment paper and fill.

Filling –

Stir the filling with a small spatula till smooth. Lay out 8 of the cookies with the tops facing down, spread the filling on, top with another cookie, press gently.

Store tightly sealed. For carrying, either wrap individually in plastic wrap or carry in a small tub.

Makes about 8 cookies.

Notes:

I used dried cherries with a touch of sugar added, for me these are the easiest to source. You can use what you like – just try to avoid cherries treated with sulfites. Almond butter can be hard to source raw if you live in more remote areas. It is becoming a lot easier to find though, even Trader Joe’s sells it. I prefer crunchy, love the texture. You can of course make it yourself if you have a food processer or a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix (we make our own nut butters often).

The coconut oil adds a nice texture and needed calories for hiking, you can leave it out if desired. The unsweetened natural coconut will pull in the extra fat upon sitting, so don’t worry about the balls being too “wet” when you are making them. Still, due to the nature of coconut oil, these treats are better for cooler hikes as they will soften. 90° days are not their best friend

Do let them warm up a bit though before eating, just enough that you get to enjoy all the flavors!